


Untitled N°1

by Sr_Perez



Category: ITZY (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other: See Story Notes, Violence, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:02:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23190583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sr_Perez/pseuds/Sr_Perez
Summary: Itzy Yuna / TxT Huening Kai + Zombies + Yuna kills zombies with a machete and a baseball bat + Kai's a sweetheart what's new + Post Apocalipse + Short chapters + We'll see what elseRated M and not E because we're violent not sexy ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿
Relationships: Huening Kai/Shin Yuna
Comments: 9
Kudos: 49





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> hi! thank you for passing by. in a few hours i'll upload the second chapter. if you're familiar with my other WIP, "rumor has it," don't worry, i'm also working on that one.
> 
> so i saw some of those videos of yuna checking kai out... and i thought something like "WHAT THE HELL WHO'S THAT GIRL GOSH SHE'S SO CUTE!!!" and then started digging into some itzy stuff and now i can't get the song ting ting ting out of my head. welp.
> 
> my bisexual heart just can't with all the cuteness of these two, so i HAD to write somethig, okay?
> 
> i'm actually super really nervous about this, i don't know if it'll be hated or if someone will bother to read it at all, but it's whatever. 
> 
> super important note: i haven't decided yet if there's gonna be sex in the plot, but even if there is I WILL NOT WRITE SMUT ABOUT UNDERAGE REAL PEOPLE. teens have sex and that's okay as long as they consent, but that's their own business. so anything sexy will be implied, not graphic.

“The clouds look pretty today,” Yuna said quietly, looking up the sky as if she really wasn’t raging just two minutes before. She was laying on a clearing like a starfish, her heart still rushing and the grip on her bloody bat slowly giving. It was risky, being there, all alone, she knew she was being childish and reckless but she also knew she had to get away and calm down before doing something she would regret later. She loved Ryujin, she really, really did, but right now all she wanted to do was to punch her in the—

“Ugh. I hate this,” she said a little louder, covering her eyes with the back of her elbow, and her voice came out shaky when she added, “I miss you so much, mom.”

The first tear came down her temple. Then the second. She sniffled but then swallowed quickly to avoid crying, because crying was forbidden.

Crying could kill you.

Then again, that same thought was so frustrating because all she wanted to do was to let go, to have the luxury of crying, loud and ugly and careless, and release that… that dark cloud of things she’d been piling inside her chest since before everything…

“I hate this, hate this, hate this…” she hissed, catching the last tears with the back of her hand.

She wanted to scream and kick something, she was just so tired and angry. But even if the sky was filled with pretty clouds and the breeze was gentle on her long hair and the birds were chirping in the distance, those things were luring somewhere, ready to take chunks of her flesh and take her as one of their own if she dared to be careless. Anything too loud, any open wound or tiny amount of fresh blood could attract them; being quiet was imperative and the opposite was suicidal.

Yuna looked around again, just in case. If she were to be honest, the undead were almost fun to hunt down. She was damn good with a bat, even better with her machete, so she wasn’t worried as long as she faced no more than ten at a time.

The living, though…

The forest surrounding her was pleasantly peaceful, the rustle of the leafs soothing, and the warm light was gentle against her skin. She was alone, it seemed. The girl concentrated on any suspicious noise, not daring to close her eyes. The woods in that area weren’t so dense so it was possible to see at a reasonable distance fairly well, trees tall, not that many bushes. The clear where she was sitting had tall grass but it was impossible to hide anything in it. She licked her lips, she was starting to get thirsty.

Should she get back already? She had already succeeded in not fighting with Ryujin, most probably also punishing her by disappearing without telling anyone. She huffed, frowned and crossed her arms, falling again on the ground. “Whatever, I’m still mad.”

Yeah, she was being a brat. She knew. But then she merely thought of walking back to the fort and she almost felt sick, the frustration came back and she wanted to cry all over again. It didn’t make sense, that was her home, that people was her family, had been her family for almost three years and she still couldn’t believe how lucky she was of having them; after witnessing true human madness, she knew she had the best ones by her side. She should be grateful and she was, every day she thanked fate for crossing paths with them, but…

Ryujin wasn’t the problem.

“I’m mad at myself.”

Was she, though?

“I feel messy. Something’s bothering me.”

But what?

“I don’t want to go back.”

But why?

She growled. “I hate this. I hate everything.”

She hated not being able to understand herself.

Well, at least she could agree with herself on that.

Then she blinked. Sat up. Looked at her bat. Watched her perimeter. Everything in order.

It wasn’t the first time she left the fort on her own, but it was the first time she ventured into that forest. They lived at the outskirts of what was left of the city, and she was at what was once known as Bukhansan National Park. Jinyoung had said that people with bad intentions could hide there, and they knew the living were the real danger, so they all agreed to avoid the area. Besides, there was nothing useful for them in the woods, except for, well, wood, and they could get that from any less risky place than that.

She was the younger in their family (if she didn’t count baby Jun), but she was still a good fighter. That was what she was telling herself while she passed the first trees, and what she kept repeating in whispers after the last house disappeared and she couldn’t believe what she was doing. Anger was a weird thing, it made you brave and stupid…

But the result, at least so far, was rewarding.

She had found a nice place. Sure, it was still dangerous and she was still alert, but it was so open, it made her feel a little bit more free, somehow, and it was something beautiful and new, like a birthday present.

Her head and her chest were still a mess, but she felt at least a little better.

She wasn’t mad at Ryujin, she was just… frustrated with everything else, she supposed. And she missed her family, she still missed the future she would never have, and there was so much death everywhere.

It was so silent there.

She stood up, swirled the bat on her hand and stretched. She then put her leather jacket back on, dusted her jeans and grabbed her machete. It was time to go home.

“I’ll come back soon,” she said calmly to the vigilant trees.


	2. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> loool first chapter only had two views.

She never told them where she went.

Jinyoung scolded her but didn’t ground her, said she knew what she did wrong and hoped she wouldn’t do it again. She knew her fault was to worry her family, but other than that, she had only put herself in danger and no one else. Heechul and Momo seemed relieved to see her unharmed and baby Jun was laughing at her as always when she went to greet him. As for the girls…

Ryujin apologized but Yuna didn’t let her finish before she apologized too. Yeji said to please never leave like that again, Jisu gave her a hug and Chaeryeong asked if she was okay. Yuna didn’t know how to respond to that.

It was a beautiful family, Yuna dared say. Jinyoung was their leader but acted more like a father, Heechul was like a funny uncle or a soft big brother, Momo was the motherly figure and the girls were her sisters… only two of them were dating, but that was a small detail. They also had baby Jun, son of Heechul and Momo, the squishiest baby boy in the entire universe, who was like their little brother. They had established themselves in an old building, making it as unsuspicious as they could, always keeping watch, always hiding from other survivors, no matter how nice they might seem.

(They knew from experience how deadly a kind face could be.)

So, to honor her beautiful family, Yuna didn’t go back to her forest… for like a week.

When she came back the sky was clear, there was almost no wind at all, and it was even hotter than the other day. But she saw a little lizard resting on a rock and flowers and a tree filled with the last blossoms of the season. She also saw two undead; she broke the first one’s legs first and smashed his head against the pavement, then beheaded the second one on a single blow with her machete. She always carried her googles on top of her head and a bandana around her neck to protect her from any infected blood, she preferred to take cover than being subtle.

All in all, it was a good trip.

The next time was a couple of days after that. The others had said that she seemed more cheerful and, although they did worry about her going out on her own, they trusted her when she said she was going close by, that she was being careful, that she just wanted to be alone for a while. They had no way of knowing that she was actually going to the woods.

So she kept on coming back. Each day sunnier than the previous one. Each day as uneventful as the other.

Don’t get too cocky, Jinyoung would say. That’s how you end up messing up.

And she knew, she knew, she could get killed. Or worse. She knew. Even if the trees up high made her feel like they were filtering not only the sunlight but also the evil in the world, keeping her safe not only from the undead or the living, but also from the buzz in her head. It was something of hers, and it gave her peace, and she had been there enough times to start believing that no other living went there.

So when she woke up one of those afternoons in the grass, curled on her side, she knew she had messed up. That was unforgivable, it was how you got bitten, caught, killed. Or worse.

The sun was still high, she noticed, still lain down. She didn’t make any movement, didn’t want to alert any possible enemy nearby. So she listened well while taking notice of her machete right next to her.

Just the birds. Just the trees. Nothing else.

Okay, good. She rolled until she was facing the sky in a slow movement, but…

There was a shape next to her.

Her heart jumped so hard that it hurt. Her body tensed at once and with just the movement of her eyes, she looked to her side.

A sitting figure, about a meter and a half from her. Wide torso, short hair, pale skin, dark clothes, but she didn’t stare any longer to get more details than that. It was a man. It was a threat.

Her body reacted on its own. Her right hand took her weapon and not even half a second later she pushed the stranger backwards. The man made a sound sharper than she expected and it was easier to pin him down than it should be, but there was no time to reflect on that, she didn’t stop until her blade was against his neck.

All she had to do was press down and watch him bleed.

It was easy and more merciful than what she’d seen other men doing to their victims.

All she had to do was…

“I’m Kai.”

Her heart jumped again.

“What?!”

They were both panting. She was, somehow, straddling him with her upper arm over his clavicles and her machete right below his Adam’s apple. His eyes were closed, his hair was scattered like a black halo around his head, his hands were resting to his sides and he didn’t seem to intend defending himself. She wasn’t stupid, she had made her move quick because armed or not, he had the upper hand; no matter how good she was at killing undead, the survivors were something else, so why was he doing nothing to overpower her?

She watched how his Adam’s apple twitched as he swallowed.

“My name is Kai,” he said. And nothing else. He sounded and looked more like a boy than a man, despite the proportions of his body.

She just gripped the hilt harder and prepared to do it. He took a deep breath and held it, clenching his fists. That was the moment to act, not to doubt, she had to take her chance, it was kill or being killed. But all she could do was watch him, wonder which was the stupid choice after this and looked if there was anyone else around to stop her. There was no one, and that didn’t make any sense. When she looked at him again he had his eyes open, looking directly into hers. He seemed confused, maybe because she was taking too much time to finish him.

His eyes didn’t seem like those of a bad man, but she had made that mistake before…

Should she…?

Could she?

No.

She couldn’t do it.

She threw her machete away and waited for him to do whatever it was he was planning, but he just kept on staring at her with even more confusion than before.

She snorted. “At least you’re cute,” she said resignedly, thinking of the things he was probably about to do to her.

“Thank you,” he blinked. He pressed his eyes into a thin line, averted his eyes and added, “there are some traps around, you should be careful on your way back. Um. It’s getting late, so I suggest you go before sunset.”

She frowned. “You’re letting me go?”

He looked at her again. “I’m gonna go now, if you’ll let me.”

Shoot, she was still sitting on top of him. She felt her face heating and quickly stood up, sheathed her knife and grabbed her bat. Then she remembered her jacket, so she tossed her bat, put it on and then took the bat again. Sure, she could beat ten undead at a time, but she could be clumsy sometimes. That was not a good time to show that side of hers, though.

There was a bird singing a particularly beautiful song, somewhere.

“Okay, so…” she struggled to decide what to say next. This was awkward.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” he said, now sitting but still not standing up, neither looking at her. His voice was a little subdued. “I’ll let you alone if you decide to come back… but I don’t think you will, so… I’m sorry I ruined this for you.”

What could she say to that? He was right, she would never come back there, it was ruined forever.

She just nodded, eyes fixed on her boots.

“Alright, so. Uh. Could you, um, step back a little for me? I don’t want to make you nervous again. I’ll just go.”

She did as he asked, watching her steps in case she fell into one of the traps he mentioned earlier, or if he was trying to trick her somehow. But once she was some good five meters away from him, he got on his feet and, without even a glance in her direction, walked away.

All she could do was stare until he disappeared.


	3. His name was...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after the first meeting.

Their fort was a four-stories building, a fortress reinforced in such a way that any passerby wouldn’t guess there were people living in it, and so the plants that they had on their roof were also located strategically so no one could see them from the street. That was a little tricky because the terrain in that area was irregular and the streets were winding, going up and down, round and round, but it worked. The trips to the canal to get the water were a little tiresome, but it was worth it; they had fresh vegetables to eat all year.

Yuna was particularly fond of beans. The vines were messy and lively and the pods came in different colors at different times. Beans were fun… most of the time. Now, sitting next to the vines with Chaeryeong braiding her hair, she felt just wrong.

“I’m okay, unnie,” she said for the eleventh time that week.

“No one believes you when you say you’re okay. At least say you don’t want to talk about it.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Chaeryeong smiled. “That’s better. I’m glad that you’re spending more time indoors, lately, but maybe you need to get some exercise, to clear your head and all. Wanna go on a hunt with me tomorrow? We haven’t been out together in a while.”

The braid was ready and the elder tied it up. Yuna touched it, feeling how it fell on her back to her waist. She thanked Chaeryeong and sat next to her.

“Yeah, we should go hunting, but not tomorrow. I feel like I could screw up and that could be dangerous,” Yuna said eventually.

Chaeryeong hummed. “Something bothering you?”

Ah.

His name was Kai. He was about her age. He was a foreigner, judging by his accent and features, and he had serene eyes.

“No, don’t worry.”

Now that the moment was gone and it all became a memory, everything about him came back to her mind, invading everything. She could recall bits and pieces, details that didn’t seem enough, and she tried to put it all together even if she didn’t know exactly why.

Like how tall he seemed, but maybe not, because he wasn’t close enough when he stood up. Then there were his clothes, cargo pants, green t-shirt, leather bracelets on his wrist. His skin, pale and flawless. The way his big yet delicate white hands contrasted against the grass underneath them, like his dark hair… and then his eyes shone…

She straddled him. She had him caged against the ground and he felt warm. He smelt like soap and something earthy.

“Ne, unnie, what do I smell like?”

“Hm? I don’t know, Yuna. Detergent, maybe? You know we still have some for the next couple of years.”

The younger forced herself not to smile, even if it was difficult. “Ah. So you don’t think we’ll catch the smell of the beans if we stay here too long?”

Unnie laughed. “So that’s why you always come here?”

Yuna didn’t respond, just smiled in silence.

And then she remembered again.

He said he was sorry, he warned her about the traps she had never seen before, he let her slice his neck if that was her wish.

The mere thought broke her heart.

She clenched her fist.

Kai was alive. Kai was okay.

She closed her eyes. Was Kai okay, though?

Was he still alive? What was he doing there? Was that his forest too? Was that his refuge as well? He said he’d leave her alone if she decided to come back, so that meant that it wasn’t the first time he saw her there?

“Yu~na~” Chaeryeong sing sang. “Oi, Yu~na~”

The younger chuckled. “Yes, that’s my--” She opened her eyes wide and stood up as this thought came to her head. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Hey, what happened to you all of a sudden?” Chaeryeong demanded.

“I’m—Sorry unnie. I just thought of something to feel better, see ya!”

“What--”

Whatever unnie wanted to say, Yuna didn’t wait to find out. She ran downstairs in a hurry, went to get her things from her room, put on her hood, her leather jacket, sheathed her machete and wielded her clean bat. She saw Yeji and Ryujin walking on the narrow street carrying logs but she didn’t bother to explain why she was suddenly running like a deer in a chase.

All she could think of was a debt of hers. She had been so rude.

She never told Kai her name was Yuna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bows* thank you, kind stranger, for giving kudos yesterday. it's okay if it was an accident (◕‿◕✿)
> 
> now, should i make this work available for all the public outside ao3? i'm afraid that it'll get more readers, but also some haters.
> 
> this url leads you to the google map of the area that yuna and her family live t.ly/Eyx03 you just have to picture it with zombies.
> 
> *bows again* anyways, thanks for reading!


	4. Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, you know that thing that some authors do where they picture the girl as the damsel in distress and the boy as the domineering macho man? yeah... i hate that. i know that i'm not a mainstream author and i'm pushing my luck even further, but i have to be loyal to my beliefs
> 
> also, i noticed that this fic has a different audience than my other works, so:
> 
> english is not my first language and i don't have a beta! please excuse any mistakes, or feel free to correct me~

The clearing was empty when she got there. Yuna took her googles and bandana off her face, looking everywhere for him. The grass was flattened on the spots she had lain before, but there were no new trails of steps nor evidence of someone coming after Yuna’s last visit there.

“Kai?” she called, her voice cautious enough not to allure any unwanted visitor. The rustling trees and the chirping birds were there, as always… “Kai, are you there?”

But there was no sign of him. She waited for hours, until the sun was dangerously low and orange, and then she decided to go back home.

For three days, the same routine repeated itself with no different outcome.

On the fourth day she arrived earlier, packed with food and water. She sat on her usual spot, put her backpack on the ground and listened. As always, there was no suspicious noises, not even an undead around to disrupt her peace. Well, peace was not what she was there for this time.

She let her bag there and stood up. She walked around the clearing, went through every tree and brushed every bush, looking for something. She didn’t bother to call for Kai this time, she knew he wouldn’t answer even if he was there, hiding somewhere. After what felt like an hour she was about to make a pause to eat something, and that’s when she saw it.

It was faint, but she could see what seemed like footsteps around a distinctive tree. Yuna bounced on her feet as a sign of victory, but then realized that it might be someone other than Kai, so she drew her knife.

Steeling herself, she mustered all of her willpower to calm down and clear her head. Gave a slow sigh, clenched the handle of her machete, gave two steps back and looked up.

There, up high, looking at her like a scared rabbit, was the boy perched on the tree. She understood now why she couldn’t find him before, the foliage was dense in that part and he was still as a cat. Yuna beamed. “Hi!”

He startled. She blinked and her smile evaporated while waiting for his greetings. Or any response at all, really. She rasped and tried again, “um, you said your name was Kai, right? I didn’t come here to fight you, I just wanted to talk!”

Although he was about five meters high, she could still see the rictus of his lips and his eyes falling on the machete on her hand. Quickly, she put it on the sheath on her hip while apologizing. “Okay, I’m not armed,” she smiled again. Even if he was unresponsive, she was just so excited to see him again. “Can we talk? For a while? Please?”

Her smile begun to fade again until he eventually said, “you can talk.”

Smile on again. Pause. Off again. “Oh. Uh… I meant like, we could talk here? Could you come down? Please?”

He shook his head as a no.

She pursed her lips. He was being a little difficult, but she understood. She wouldn’t give up yet, though. “Okay. I wanted to apologize for jumping you the other day. I could’ve hurt you, but I’m glad I didn’t.”

“I had it coming,” he shrugged. Put all his attention on his knee while he scratched it. It came off as sulking.

She kept on trying. “I know now that you didn’t want to hurt me either.”

That got his attention. The scratching stopped and he looked at her in the eyes. His face softened a little and she realized then, with soft patches of shadow and light landing on his face, she remembered how close she had him when— “You really mean that?”

She nodded furiously. “Of course! I woke up and saw someone, I freaked out and reacted, that was all. I thought I was in danger, I’m sorry.”

He sighed. He seemed troubled about something. “I know there aren’t many walkers around here, but it’s still dangerous to fall asleep here. I was just making sure nothing happened, I thought I had more time before you woke up, I never meant for you to see me.”

That phrase, the longest she had heard from him up to that moment, contained so much rich information that she couldn’t help but rejoice at the fact that she was really gaining his trust.

“You call them walkers? Wait, you’ve seen me before?”

“Ah, I shouldn’t have said that…”

“No, no! It’s okay, I actually makes sense. Oh, wait, no… I’ve peed here! Several times!”

“I never--!”

“Did you--?”

“—saw anything! No!”

“I can’t believe this--!”

“I looked away! I swear! I pee around here all the time as well!”

Yuna smirked. “Got you.”

He seemed peeved. “What?”

“I believe you, don’t worry,” she laughed. He seemed to have a hard time keeping up with her, the poor boy seemed lost in utter confusion. “You’re nice, Kai, we should be friends.”

Kai’s shoulders sagged. “Forget it, bye,” he said, then reclined back against a branch so they weren’t facing each other anymore.

She gasped. “Hey! No!” Then giggled. “Come on, I was joking!” That alarmed him, making him shush her and making gestures with his hands, though he was still smiling.

“Quiet! Someone might hear you!” Kai hissed half cheerful, half freaked out, checking the perimeter. “Ah, we’re being too loud.”

“Then come down! I have food. And I wanted to give you something.”

The boy tilted his head like a puppy. “Something?” Once again, the girl nodded furiously. She could feel a powerful grin on her face. He squinted at her. “Is this a trick?”

“I swear it’s not. I bet you’re stronger than me, it shouldn’t be hard to beat me if I tried something.”

“Don’t say things like that, I could never.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t anymore, I promise. Please come down? I would never hurt you either.”

He sighed. She could hear him muttering something, rub his face with both hands and exclaim a pained “alright.”

“Yay!” She jumped.

“Step back a little.”

“Sure.”

The contrast between her cheerfulness and his sudden resigned demeanor was notorious, but Yuna was happy enough not to care about that. He was a reserved guy, she could tell, and she always was popular back in school. Sure, this wasn’t school, but meeting new people was the same even after schools didn’t exist anymore, at least that was what she thought.

She gave about four steps backwards and watched Kai dropping a long rope made of white sheets, with the knots and everything. She watched patiently how the boy climbed down. Once he reached the ground he dusted his clothes and looked at her with apprehension.

“You’re so tall,” she was grinning, but her voice came out soft. Yuna was in awe, looking at him curiously. He was wearing black cargo pants, combat boots and a long sleeved grey shirt; it covered half of his hands but the wide neckline showed some of his collarbones. His face was as clear as it was last time, and his hair looked soft and shiny.

“I know,” he scratched his nape. “I’m easier to spot, it’s a disadvantage.”

The comment took Yuna out of her reverie, for some reason. For an instant, neither said anything else. For Yuna, at least, that didn’t feel awkward. It felt right.

Until Kai broke the silence.

“So… you said you wanted to talk?”

“Yes! But I also wanted to give you something.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“My name.” She bowed, “I’m Yuna, nice to meet you, Kai.”

He chuckled. “I was wondering when you’d finally say it.” He bowed as well. “Nice to meet you, Yuna.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so so much for reading this! and i'd like to thank also the two aditional people who gave kudos (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
> 
> i hope that, as i keep on publishing, you still like how the story goes
> 
> ヽ(ﾟｰﾟ*ヽ)ヽ(*ﾟｰﾟ*)ﾉ(ﾉ*ﾟｰﾟ)ﾉ


	5. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> from mystery boy to friendly ally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind reminder: english is not my first language, so there is a high possibility that there's going to be some stupid mistakes in this and every chapter.

It turned out that Kai was better armed than Yuna. He had a shotgun, a pistol, a hunter knife and an axe, all hidden in his clothes and the branches of his tree. He brought them down and showed them to her before eating what the girl had prepared, and just on a whim, Yuna put her bat and her machete next to them, looking at their little arsenal with a sense of pride or something.

“I’ll eat everything by myself if you don’t stop that,” Kai said in amusement.

She made a flipping gesture with her hand as if to signal not to worry. “Are you good at hunting?”

“The walkers?”

“I guess, yes. We call them undead, things, infected…”

“Undead?” He smirked. “It sounds a little dramatic.” And then he took another mouthful of rice.

“It’s better than zombies! So, are you good?”

He swallowed. “Nope. I have two hyungs, they’re like—I don’t know, assassins or something? My other hyungs are amazing too, but these two hyungs are always on the front line if we need to eliminate a few walkers, every time I see them fight they’re like… ahh, they’re so cool.”

“Is that why they gave you fire guns? Because you’re bad at fighting?” She teased.

He laughed. “I’m not so bad. But no, those are not for walkers, they’re for humans.”

Yuna frowned.

“Is it really that dangerous around here? You said we had to be quiet…”

“It can be dangerous, but since winter I haven’t seen a stranger other than you. Alive, that is.”

“Mm. You can never be too careful, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So after all that you’ve told me, I can tell you don’t live alone, that you and your people live in this forest, that you’re here to keep watch, but not on infected but on other survivors… however, _I am_ a survivor but when you saw me you didn’t do anything.”

He nodded, calm, stretched to get his axe and in a slow motion swayed it in the air, cutting an imaginary adversary. The weapon was heavy, yet he had no problems holding it steady. He seemed deep in thought as he looked the curve of its blade. Finally, he put it back on the ground.

He asked, “do you have guns in your group? Like this shotgun or something similar?”

She knew he wasn’t dismissing her question, but she didn’t like the eerie feel that the conversation suddenly took. “No. We used to, but we ran out of ammo and tossed it long ago. The elders in our group thought it was too noisy anyway.”

“It’s true, it should only be used as a last resource, and even then it can end in disaster,” he muttered. “Listen, I’m already risking my people by talking to you, if my hyungs find out that I found you and let you live they’re never gonna trust me again, and to us, trust is everything. You could be a spy, or someone could follow you here, or you could be immune, have the virus and infect me…”

“I understand,” she took his hand in an impulse, trying to give him some sort of comfort but the mere touch made him flinch, forcing her to retract her fingers immediately. She dreaded the reason could be because he really meant it when he insinuated she could be a carrier, but she also hoped with a pained heart that it really was because he could feel that electricity too in that brief contact. Did it feel the same when she had him under her blade, about to slit his throat? “I’m sorry,” she cleared her throat and kept her fists on her lap. “I don’t know if I’m immune, that’s why I cover my face when I hunt. As for the rest… I understand, I do, but I could say the same about you.”

His shoulders dropped. He extended his hand, palm upwards, and looked at her with an inviting smile. She put her hand on top of his, barely touching. Again, he felt warm against her. He squeezed her fingers and let her go.

“So we’re both being reckless, we can agree on that,” he said. She nodded and chuckled. “I shouldn’t tell you this, I really shouldn’t…”

“Then don’t—"

“But I’ll bet on you. Just… please don’t betray me.”

There they were, again; those eyes that made her risk her own life before daring to hurt him.

“I won’t. I’ll never betray you.”

He heaved a sigh. “Okay,” he nodded, as if that was all it took to trust her. “There is a group that might be after us. They’re a band of men, or maybe they took more women with them… I hope not.” Yuna’s expression soured. She knew the kind. “We’ve been here since early winter, but now that spring started we think this is the time to be alert. They think we betrayed them and we know they’ll want revenge, so we’re taking precautions in case they find us. We… our group is also formed mostly by men, but we’re not like them. Do you believe me?”

“Of course I believe you,” she responded vehemently.

He gave a weak smile. But then, his expression became serious. “That’s why we put traps on every path we could find in the forest and that’s why I’m here every day, watching for intruders. Listen, if you ever find strangers near your territory, I don’t expect you to kill them on the spot, we both know you’re not capable of doing so--”

“Shut up,” she pushed him on the shoulder.

He smiled only for a moment. “So this is important. Ask the stranger for Kamal, can you remember that?”

“Kamal, Kamal, Kamal. Okay, got it. Who’s that?”

“Me. Um, I have an American name, I’m Kai Kamal Huening, but they won’t know that. If the stranger knows the name, they’re part of my band. If they don’t, finish them immediately… especially if they’re a group of armed men.”

Yuna heaved a long sigh. “Yeah. I just… I hope they won’t come.”

“It’s just a precaution, I don’t think they can trace us anyway.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“It’s only fair.”

The girl smiled. She looked at the shadows around them, longer than before. The sunset was nearing and the way back home took almost an hour. “Did you finish it all, oppa?”

“Um? Ah, yes, it was delicious, thank you. I forgot you’re younger.”

“Dummy. I’ll get going then.”

“Okay, let me help you with all this. Ah, we could’ve wash this by the canal, it’s not so far.”

“It’s okay, you have to keep guard.”

“I’ll just put on some more traps, that’ll do.”

Yuna giggled. “You’re the worst watchman ever. There, now I’ll put my glasses and my scarf… because I don’t know if I’m immune, by the way… and… there, see you tomorrow!”

“I’ll be here until nighttime in case you have to come back. See you tomorrow…”

She smiled and bowed, when she was about to turn away…

He took her arm, softly.

Took a step closer.

And hugged her.

Tightly.

“Just… take care, Yuna.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI HELLO HOLA CÓMO TE BAILA JE NE SAIS PAS PARLER FRANÇAIS
> 
> thank you all for reading, and thanks a bunch to our fourth kudos giver! ヽ(〃＾▽＾〃)ﾉ
> 
> i'm really sorry if this chapter has too many errors to be bearable, i'll be editing it if i can identify any horrors, thank you for your patience.


	6. Bam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> of choices and self-discoveries

Hurry up. She had to hurry up.

Yuna would’ve ran if the heavy boots weren’t so freaking loud against the cracked pavement; instead, she jogged as silently as she could through the quiet streets. The last rays of light were disappearing and dusk would soon become night. The darkness was engulfing the deserted streets, the wild gardens and the hollow buildings; the shadows were taking every corner, under every abandoned car, growing from behind every broken window. Was that a growling? No, it wasn’t, just keep on running… no, don’t run, you don’t want to call them, just be quiet, listen, breathe, don’t stop, dry your hands on your pants, your palms are sweaty, if the grip on your weapon fails you’re done, keep your head cool, you’re no good if you freak out now.

Hurry up.

She tried not to think of her family, most probably worried by now, or in the fact that they should be closing the fort by now because the infected were more dangerous by night. It was also useless to berate herself now for losing sense of time and deciding to go back too late. That had been her first day with Kai after she had finally found him again and it was the first day in months she had been so happy, it frustrated her to no end that something so good could end up in something this bad.

But that was not the time to think about him either. About his smile, his pretty hands, his boyish voice, his serene eyes… about soap, something earthy and something minty engulfing her when he put his arms around her and held her with strength and carefulness, asking her to be safe…

Something there. Stop, don’t move. Watch your breathing, someone could hear you.

There was a small group of infected blocking the intersection in front of her, on their knees around something. They were about eight… eating something. It could be a fresh infected, an animal, or a survivor. Whatever it was, it was dead already. One of those things tried to tear something away and an arm fell in between two walkers, as Kai called them. So it was human, Yuna thought, standing still while she looked with a pained heart the tore limb laying in a small pond of dark blood. A howl startled her and more infected appeared from around the corner. They took the arm and started taking avid bites of flesh, even if it was still covered in a checkered shirt.

Yuna gripped her bat. They were still coming. She didn’t identify the cloth so at least she knew it wasn’t one of her own, but she couldn’t help thinking about who that was, hoping it was a quick death. Another howl was heard now…

Behind her.

She gasped and reacted just in time to swing her bat sideways against the knees of an infected. She cursed in silence, she was being too careless. The thing fell violently and she didn’t wait to give it a first blow to the head, spraying clotted blood on the ground, then a second one to make sure, brain matter coming out from the ears and eyes.

Quick, check the perimeter.

There were more coming from the four streets converging, some from out of the buildings and some even jumping from windows two or four floors up, landing hard and crawling to get to where they were all gathering. It was the scent of blood, luring them, and Yuna was in their way. Even if she wasn’t injured she was a moving target smelling fresh and edible enough for them, she knew.

She had to get out now.

The girl bit her lip, wondering if Kai would still be waiting for her. She couldn’t go through that intersection, she had to take a longer path. Either if she went home or to Kai, she had to get back at least two blocks and dodge as many infected as possible; she didn’t have the luxury of time or light.

“Okay,” she whispered, gave a little jump and this time really ran back to where she came from.

Left. Hit. Go ahead. Now right. Dodge that one. Keep running.

There were dozens of them, but they were slow and the crescent moon was enough to see their shapes beforehand. She reached another cross but there was a truck blocking the narrow street ahead and she had two seconds to choose where to go now.

Left, where she came from, back to Kai. It would take her ten minutes running until she reached the skirts of the woods and then maybe another fifteen if she hurried to where she left him; the first half of the roadless trip was fairly open and safe, and then the trees became dense enough to hide some infected but she hadn’t found any wondering at daylight, she doubter it would be different at that hour.

Right, the emergency route back home. That way was also more populated by those things, but she knew those streets well, she already had the directions in her head with the best route she could think of. She wasn’t sure if it was the fastest option, but if she made it she would save her family from a sleepless night. Now, if she didn’t…

She went left. It wouldn’t be the first time a member of her family spent a night out, they had already discussed about emergencies like this since they knew sometimes it was better to find shelter elsewhere before trying to get back to their fort. She had a blanket and two cans of food in her backpack for that same reason. Kai said he would wait until nighttime, she only hoped it wouldn’t be too late by the time she got there.

The thought of seeing him again was enough to bring more strength out of nowhere. The serpentine alleyway went up and became more and more clear. The trees were visible appearing from behind the short buildings. Soon it was safe to slow down and catch her breath.

But what about Kai?

Yuna came to a halt with her head clear enough to judge it safe. There were two infected about ten meters in front of her and she knew there were another four behind her, far enough as well. Her panting caught the attention of a rotting man crawling with what was left of his only working arm.

If she went back to him, what would they do? Spend the night in the opening, risking a pneumonia? Or would they go to his shelter, with his people, after he had told her that she was a menace to their safety and to the trust they shared with him? She knew Kai was good, but she didn’t know about his people, how would they react if they knew he had basically betrayed them?

God, she wanted to see him. She just wanted to go to him. She was even glad she was forced to go back, but this…

“Love at first sight doesn’t exist,” she muttered, still panting.

She took five steps towards that crawling infected, unsheathed her machete and severed its neck with enough force to put it off with a single blow. The others were nearing slowly but surely, with another two coming out of the shadows of a tree.

Well?

Her vision was blurry. That wasn’t good. She had seen him not even an hour ago and she was already missing him and it hurt. It hurt so much. It already hurt before this day, every minute after she looked into his eyes for the first time, every day that she went looking for him and couldn’t find him. The only thing she wanted was to go back to him and stay there, with him.

“I can’t. I can’t.”

Her knife fell to the ground. She couldn’t cry over this. The walkers were getting closer. Crying gets you killed. She could hear their steps dragging closer. So this was what love felt like. One of them growled close enough to make her snap.

Bam. Her bat went straight to the jaw. Yuna sniffed, put the machete back on its sheathe and turned back. She knew Kai was still waiting, she believed in him, but the way through the forest was a dangerous as the long route back home. And… and she wasn’t capable of putting him in any danger, he had to go back to his people, she had already told him she would never hurt him and it was true. This was her way of protecting him.

About two more blocks of walking she found a truck sturdy enough, unlocked and in a clear zone. She locked herself in.

And waited.

For sleep or the sun to come eventually.

It didn’t matter anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe it was a good idea to make this story public, because it got three more kudos from guests! thank you very, very much (~˘▾˘)~
> 
> i'm thinking about changing the name of this fic, idk


	7. I do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> about love and its annoying symptoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ages are korean. says here that yuna's eighteen but in international age she's sixteen. and the story is set in spring, so kai's still seventeen.

Yuna arrived home when the sun was just rising east, there was barely any wind and the morning dew soothed her troubled head. Her family received her with relieved greetings and hugs, asking what happened, why she didn’t get home last night, if she was hurt anywhere. She wasn’t, she had defended herself well against the infected and after that she had a lonely night in an old delivery truck—the undead weren’t smart enough to look for food inside the abandoned cars, that was why it was way better to find shelter in a vehicle than to run into a big, unknown house at the wee hours of the night. So she went through the night unscathed, as expected from a survivor like herself.

(Her heart was shattered. She was in love with a boy she had just met. A boy as brave and selfless as he was beautiful, and she wanted more. More of him, more with him, more to him. She was in love, god, she was so in love that it was terrifying. It was so sudden that when she realized it was already too late. Now everything changed. Now everything was about him. His name once and then a thousand more. His embrace once and just like that she was his forever.)

So after they told her that she had been too careless and that she had been making too many trips in what they deemed an irresponsible manner, of course she was grounded. Forbidden from going out for a week. A whole damn week. Yuna protested, with reason and then with tantrums. It didn’t matter. She knew they were right by doing so… it didn’t mean she had to like it.

It was a week away from him, after she assured him she would be back the next day, she would be fine.

A week without Kai.

-

Call her a classic teenager, but the first day of freedom after a week grounded, locked at home and honestly just desperate to get out, she ran away first time at dawn, seriously willing to come back at sunset for all the time she had wasted cloistered.

She felt so strong while passing the streets, full of energy. Hopeful. Then she entered the forest and she just couldn’t stop smiling. She had to remind herself that she had to be careful, she couldn’t afford getting hurt before seeing Kai after so long just because she wasn’t paying attention… but it was so hard to speed down when with every step she was closer and closer.

She got to the clearing—their clearing—panting, smiling, tired, impatient. She took a moment to catch her breath, resting her hands on her knee and her bat, yet still checking out her surroundings. She took a glance towards Kai’s tree but she couldn’t see him. Her heart shrunk at the possibility that he wouldn’t appear that morning, or that day at all, or…

Noises. She heard leaves crunching and twigs crushing. Steps. Coming from beyond Kai’s tree. Her heart screamed his name, his head commanded to hide. She listened to her head for once since she had met the boy and with feline strides hid behind a bush next to a tree, right at the edge of the clearing.

Soon enough she could hear male voices. Plural. That wasn’t good. The infected couldn’t speak and one single survivor was dangerous enough for a eighteen-year-old like herself. Yes, she was scared. They could be men from Kai’s group, but that didn’t really mean anything, just that they might carry fire guns and that made them even more dangerous. She had to get away from there at once, but with the noisy ground of the forest it was impossible to escape unnoticed. She made herself as little as she could and shut her eyes, holding her bat close to her chest.

The men stopped near Kai’s tree. Yuna opened her eyes at that… maybe they only came to make guard from there like him, then the chances of escaping escalated, she could flee and run away before they could even jump those five meters down. She kept quiet, listening carefully. She had heard Kai climbing that tree so she knew what she was hoping to hear. The voices seemed cheery, relaxed. They chatted a little and, yes, someone was climbing. Then another. Okay. Then she only had to wait a little for them to settle before…

Steps. No, damn it, no, steps, coming closer. It was one man but that was enough, should she risk a chase and get the hell out now?

The undead were easy. The living were monsters. Only one of them was a menace enough. She couldn’t. She closed her eyes and hoped the man didn’t see her. If he did then she would be brave, but before that…

The steps went to the clearing and stopped there, just a few steps away from Yuna.

For a moment, it was all very quiet.

Did he see her?

Heavens, her heart was racing, but she had to be strong. She had to be. So with shaking hands gripping her bat and slowly tearing up, she opened her eyes to see him.

Her lips parted in a silent gasp. Her hand went to cover her mouth immediately.

Kai was looking at her like he couldn’t believe she was right next to him, and that was probably exactly what he was thinking after a whole week. But he recovered quickly, licked his lips and mouthed a “shh” before going back to where the others were. Yuna’s heart was racing, because of the scare, because of him, because she knew whatever he was doing back there it was to protect her. She hugged her knees and waited. She could hear him talking to the others. There was a short dialogue, noises of agreement, and not a minute after Kai was back, crouching in front of her, hiding from the others like her behind the vegetation and then looking at her with serious eyes.

He came close, so close, and said in the lowest voice, “do you trust me?”

She didn’t even have to think before answering that. “I do.”

Kai smiled and nodded. “We’ll go that way,” he pointed where there were high bushes and dense trees, “but I’ll have to carry you.” Yuna nodded. They stood up and Kai put an arm behind her back, watching like a hawk that the others couldn’t see them. He then leaned forward and put his other arm under Yuna’s knees. He picked her up and tugged her to settle her weight higher and closer to his chest. The girl never, in her whole life, felt her face more heated than in that moment, still gripping her bat and meek like a kitten, but also tense like a stone and afraid of moving an inch in his arms.

“Please don’t be mad,” he muttered. He seemed as awkward about the whole deal as her.

Yuna couldn’t dare to look at him. “It’s okay, oppa. Really.”

Kai breathed deeply, turned around and walked with a steady pace. It was obvious why he had chosen to carry her, the path was dense and the ground was noisier, two sets of steps would be noticed immediately, but since it was well covered the teens would be fine as long as they kept quiet. Yuna’s body slowly gave in, melting into the boy’s hold, even burying her face into his chest. She felt so safe. She felt so right.

Quiet, impatient heart.

-

“I think we’re safe now,” Kai said after a while. Yuna opened her eyes and saw that they were in a part of the forest that she never had been to. He put her down and looked at her biting his lip, looking at her and putting some distance between them. “Yuna, I was so worried, what happened?”

The girl opened her mouth to say something but…

“Was it the hug? Did I make you uncomfortable?”

“No! No, Kai oppa, I—you didn’t do anything wrong.” She gave a step closer to him. “I couldn’t get home that night, there was a mass of infected and it was late already, so I took shelter somewhere else and spent the night out. They grounded me, oppa. I wanted to see you but they didn’t let me until today, I’m sorry.”

He sighed with his eyes closed, resting his back against a tree. “Why didn’t you come back? I waited there for hours after you left in case you couldn’t make it home.”

“I didn’t want to put you in trouble, it was better if you went back to your shelter and I solved my problem on my own.”

“That’s—Yuna, I could’ve helped… and you could’ve saved me a week of wondering what the hell happened to you.”

His voice was pleading and there was hurt in his eyes. Yuna gave another step closer. “I’m sorry.”

He sighed again, shook his head slowly. “I’m glad you’re okay now,” he said ruefully.

“I didn’t know they would punish me like that… and… and that night, when I ran into the infected I thought about my options, going back to you was too risky not just for me, because it was already dark, but it was risky for you too.”

Kai looked at her, exasperated. “I didn’t know the trip back to your home was so long, otherwise I wouldn’t let you go so late, and honestly you should know better too. They were right about grounding you Yuna, that was irresponsible, you could’ve died!”

A gasp, “what?”

“And you know there are several temples around here, I know all of them, we could’ve gone to one of them and camp there, or is it that you think I could’ve done something? Be honest.”

Yuna groaned. “That’s not it! Gosh, oppa, I know I barely know you but I know you’re a big softie. And… I didn’t think about the temples, it never crossed my mind, I was busy trying to hide from those things.” And she was stupid enough not to think about that too, but she wouldn’t admit that much.

The elder took a pause in which he looked at the girl with disapproval. Yuna was in love but it was still kind of annoying. He said, “I can’t be mad at you because there are a lot of things you don’t know about me yet, so just so you know, I was sincere when I said I would wait for you; not just because I was really worried, but because I also had a plan if you came back. You wouldn’t have given me any trouble.”

She averted her eyes and scratched her arm. It was irritating to be nagged again about the whole deal—she had heard more than enough coming from her older sisters and the elders; thank god baby Jun didn’t know how to speak yet—so being lectured again by Kai was infuriating. She really did what she thought was the best decision and the outcome proved she had made the right choice. She knew how to take care of herself. Moreover, she also took him in consideration when she chose to hide in that truck for the night; it didn’t matter if now he said that he had a backup plan, she didn’t know about that that night.

Then again… Kai was right, she did know better. For starters, she should’ve gone home earlier. Since she didn’t, she should’ve gone back to Kai earlier and avoid getting stuck in the middle of the way back home. It wasn’t just about her wellbeing, it was also about not worrying her family, and Kai did seem hurt about her disappearance; he didn’t know if she had died or simply chose not to come back ever again… what if she really died that night and he never saw her again, then he’d never know what happened to her, blaming himself for a hug, blaming himself for letting go.

He insisted, “Okay?”

She relented. “Okay. I’m sorry I worried you, oppa.”

“No, don’t apologize. Just… know that I’m here, and… I’m sorry too, I should’ve walked you to the town.”

“Don’t say that,” she slapped his arm, pouting.

He leaned in a little to look at her evasive eyes, giving a kind stare. “And I’m sorry if I’m harsh. I know you did it because you were also worried about me, and I’m thankful, but you’re not the only survivor here.”

She bit her lower lip, wondering how come he knew exactly what to say, acknowledging he was right. They were both warriors by now.

“Trust each other.”

“Trust each other,” he smirked. He straightened and his demeanor softened suddenly. “Come on, they gave me a free day, wanna go somewhere?”

“Oh? No watch today? Why?”

His answer was sarcastic and dramatic, “they saw me sulking for an entire week because a certain someone didn’t show up for like a month and I didn’t know if she was eaten by a horde of walkers or simply decided not to show ever again because I was a creep.”

Yuna opened her mouth, speechless and outraged, “it was only a week! And what does it have to do with your day off?”

He shrugged. “I’m the maknae so they baby me with anything I want if I give them puppy eyes. This time they had more reasons to spoil me.”

She laughed.

“Then we have more in common than I thought, Kai oppa.”

He giggled.

It was a beautiful giggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello~ it's been like a week, but i know this isn't a very popular story so i guess it's okay ＼(￣▽￣;)／
> 
> since last chapter we got five more kudos! thank you all so very much~ i'll mark it now, we're on 12 (づ￣ ³￣)づ


	8. Orange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> not a first date. but kinda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not even five minutes ago i just finished this. thank you muses of the olimpus.  
> also, i'll be checking mistakes and editing. for now, excuse my mushy brain.

Ever since the breakout took the lives of over three quarters of the human population, Yuna went through the seasons thinking about how they affected her chances of survival. While winter was definitively the hardest, summer wasn’t a time for fun as it used to be when she was a child. This spring, though…

Spring was beautiful again.

The sky so blue, the breeze carrying flower petals, the tender weather felt like a warm embrace after the cold, dark winter. The colors, so bright, so cheerful, everywhere, blossoming in the weeds born from the cracks of the pavement, the abandoned balconies, the trees of the little jungles that once upon a time were parks. The cranes and the ducks rested by the canals and the birds chirped louder, and it was even possible to see raccoons and badgers under buses if one payed enough attention. Was every other spring like that before?

But that wasn’t even the best part. Walking next to Kai felt like the most wonderful thing in the entire world. Yuna was rather tall for a woman but he was something else, and it was because of him that she discovered that she liked them tall. She also liked to look at his arms; long, slender, toned, his beautiful hands, the bracelets decorating his wrists. He said his hyungs forced him to exercise regularly to build up some muscles and it showed. He was on the lean side, but the way his arms flexed with his axe resting on his shoulder was so…

“Yuna?”

She raised her eyes and blinked twice. “Mm?”

Kai chuckled nervously. “Is something wrong?”

“What? No! Why?”

He kept on walking, mulling over something. Yuna gave him a soft nudge, looking at him curiously. He sighed, “it’s just-- if the hatch is making you uncomfortable…”

Crap. “It’s not! I, uh… I was just wandering why you’re not wearing a jacket.”

He pouted at her. Actually pouted. Yuna was about to die, he was so darn cute! “Are you sure? Because I can put this in my--”

“No! I mean it, it’s got nothing to do with that. But you should cover yourself, oppa. You’re too exposed… we already came across three of them and we left the woods so little ago.”

Not even ten minutes before, Kai had knocked two down and Yuna one, only after subtly complaining about her wanting to participate as well. He apologized and let her have her kill, so it wasn’t a big deal. Well, seeing him beat those two was admittedly hot, his movements were concise, controlled, and his eyes changed completely, but watching from afar was no fun.

(And even if he was stronger and used just the right amount of energy to put them down she was still faster, more precise, more agile. She thought they made a good team. She hoped he thought so too.)

“All I have is a sweater in my bag,” he admitted absently, watching to the other side of the street were an infected crawled from under a truck trying to get to them. They just kept walking; they wouldn’t get anywhere if they killed every undead they ran into.

“Then we’ll look for something when we get there,” she decided then, looking at his clothes. That day he wore black jeans, the same boots from the other day and a ratty t-shirt with the logo of some long forgotten cartoon; he had also a gun harness where he kept his fire gun, and a backpack. His face, like Yuna’s, was covered with a cotton scarf, but he didn’t have any protection on his eyes. He looked good, but that was beyond the point. Yuna, on the other side, was wearing the most comfortable high-waisted jeans she owned, her combat boots, a spaghetti strap shirt and her leather jacket. Her face was well covered, her hair tied in a ponytail because of the heat, her machete hanging from her tool belt and her bat swinging in her right arm. The rest of her things were well packed inside her backpack.

Kai looked at her with his eyebrows raised. He smiled. “Okay. Oranges and jackets it is.”

It wasn’t even noon yet, the morning was still fresh and they were passing by a wealthy neighborhood that Yuna knew well. They were heading to a big house a few blocks ahead, with several fruit trees that she wanted to show Kai because she knew there were still some oranges and pomegranates left from the winter. When she brought up the idea he accepted happily, saying that since winter he hadn’t explored much apart from the woods, and fruit there was scarce so an orange sounded like a great idea.

After a minute, Kai spoke again. “So before those walkers interrupted us you were telling me something.”

“Right!” Yuna gasped. Kai giggled and reminded her to be quiet. “Oopsie. Is this volume okay? Alright. So, that day when I couldn’t reach my home--”

“When you were being stubborn,” he interjected.

“I’ll ignore that,” she smiled properly, “there was a group of infected eating someone.”

That got his attention. “A human? Alive?”

Yuna could bet she was not the only one cursed with the memory of witnessing a person screaming while the things ate them alive just by the dread in Kai’s voice. “No. Thankfully. I could only see an arm, but it was fresh. The blood was… you know. I believe it was a man, but it was dark so I might be wrong.”

He sighed, “did you tell your family?”

“Yes. Even if you didn’t warn me about the group after yours, we know we can’t trust others. We… also have a bad experience with people.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay, oppa. And we’re here!”

It was a house hidden behind a garden that had grown out of control. The front yard had vines of flowers, lilies and roses, but also spider webs big enough to be wary of them. It was two stories high, of cracked white plaster and broken windows, with its key still inserted in its keyhole after the last time Yuna went there to steal a pomegranate.

“This looks creepy,” Kai said.

“I know! It looks even better at night.”

He squinted at her. “Define ‘better.’” She beamed and they entered the front gate of the iron fence, carefully, because things could be hiding somewhere. Kai was the first one to open the door and Yuna didn’t even protest, both with their weapons wielded and ready. The inside of the house was light enough for them to see clearly, the boy made sounds to attract any infected to them but there was nothing, so he instructed her to close the door behind them and took his gun out.

“I wanna search the entire house first,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I always do that too.”

He nodded. “Ladies don’t go first this time.”

She snickered. “Meanie. I’ll be following you then.”

They went to the second floor. All clear. One of the things that Yuna liked about that house was that it was free of blood stains, half-eaten corpses or the stench of death, like other residencies. There, all the walls were pristine and the only thing that covered them were the dusted portraits and pictures. The beds were all made and everything was stored and tidy, no traces of raid in sight. The family that lived there, a couple with a teenage son and daughter, cared for that house before they had to part. It was a pity that they entered with their shoes on.

“We could look for something for you now,” Yuna said while dropping her bat by the bed on the master room. “If something comes we’ll hear it by the stairs.”

Kai was looking at the backyard through the windows when he answered, “okay… at least it looks safe. Let’s be quiet then.”

Yuna stayed in that room, the farthest from the stairs, while Kai went to the others to search for a jacket. She didn’t have much luck, in that closet there were mostly formal suits in hangers, but she found some good socks and a man’s hoodie that looked quite comfy. Kai came back after a while wearing a denim jacket and a bashful smile.

“Oppa, so lucky,” she beamed, doing soft claps with her fingers.

He chuckled. “It fits, so I’ll keep it.”

“It looks good too! Ah, what’s that?”

“Oh, yeah… I found these gloves, they were the daughter’s. I think she practiced biking or something. Do you like them?”

Now the one with the bashful smile was her. “Yes, thank you.”

“I also found this other jacket. Um… I know you have one already but, uh, it might be too hot? You know, because it’s leather… so I found this, it’s… only if you want it.”

Yuna swore she felt her face on fire and she was officially unable to look at him at the moment. He showed her a denim jacket that was kind of really similar to the one Kai had found. “Thank you,” she said in a tiny voice while she accepted the jacket. It was also a male’s model but it did seem more fresh than her current leather jacket. “Looks like the son was one of those who buy a hundred items of the same kind.”

Kai snorted. “Look who’s the meanie now. Now say, ‘thank you, mystery boy, who provided with free jackets.’”

He was so dramatic, with his fist in the air and all. Yuna loved it and went all out as well, with the most pained expression she could possibly muster. “Thank you, mystery boy, for leaving your useful clothing behind. We promise to take care of them properly.”

“Good girl,” he nodded, mock-solemn. “Now can we lie down for a moment?” He asked as he took his new jacket off. “I woke up when the sun wasn’t even up yet and I’ve been sleeping terribly this last week.”

That one hurt. “I’m sorry…”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that! Shoot, I’m sorry, I just—You already apologized, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

“But you lost sleep because of me…”

“Yuna,” he bowed to look at her eye level. “I’m glad you came back. That’s more important.”

She huffed, struggling not to smile. She failed. “Alright, oppa. Ah,” she sighed, “okay, but we should cover the rest of the house first, don’t you think?”

And so they did, even after Kai’s childish whining and groaning. They went through the whole house and ended up in the backyard, climbing the orange tree, the pomegranate tree and the pear tree. The oranges were huge and juicy. Kai gave Yuna two of his four boiled eggs, something she hadn’t eaten in months. His people had hens, so he talked to her about the chicks and the noisy rooster. According to the boy the birds were a huge deal at first for his group; some of them cherished them, others were afraid of attracting enemies or walkers, but eventually decided to keep them because they were an important source of food.

“Do you think the person I saw last week could’ve been one of those after your people?”

Kai took a moment to answer Yuna’s question. They were sitting on two different branches on top of the orange tree, not too high, swinging their legs and peeling in silence.

“I really don’t know. I mean there are other survivors, we know it, but they’re so scattered that you notice when there’s someone else in the same area. You would’ve known if it was a neighbor, right?”

“Yeah, and we don’t have any. That’s one of the reasons why we got here, to be left alone… um…” she considered her next words carefully. “We’re mostly women. Girls, at that. The two eldest are men, they’re good people, but we know not all men are like that.”

The boy wasn’t swinging his legs anymore. “I know.”

Yuna opened her hand and the orange peels fell to the ground. “We used to be more. There were three guys that joined us a few years ago. My eldest unnie said from the start that she didn’t like the way they looked at my other sisters, but nobody listened. I was too young to understand anyway, or maybe I didn’t have enough experience, I don’t know, because when the men in our group said we needed their strength I thought that was more important.”

“You don’t have to keep telling if it hurts.”

She smiled sadly. “Yeah.”

For a long moment, neither said anything else.

“Let’s go upstairs, I’ll eat this after resting a little,” she proposed.

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to the NINE kind souls who gave kudos to this humble story! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ  
> dude english is hard.  
> so... this was a rather tame chapter, but i kind of liked it? idk, i hope you liked it too. i know the plot is not very "this boy hero is the one every girl will fall for because he's a sexy mofo AND he's a total badass" because, you know, i wouldn't fall for that. and i'm weird. that's my main concern, i'm afraid that i'll make this fic too weird for its already alternative public.  
> there, i said it.  
> now i'll launch this chapter to the internets and see what happens.  
> (◡﹏◡✿)


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